I hate this.

[Sapphire Silk]

We had sleet and ice today, so clinic was canceled after four hours. It's bitterly cold, and since the temp is in the mid 20's, I decided to fill up on gas (had 1/3 tank) to keep the gas line from freezing.

Bear in mind the roads are really slick.

The gas station I go to is a bit tight to get in and out of. The pumps are angled for some reason, so are a bit hard to get into.

Woman in a sedan is filling up. Her driver side door is wide open, and blocks me from pulling in to use the other pump. I have to drive completely around to get in to a pump.

Meanwhile, lines start forming at the pumps. Woman still doesn't close her door until she's ready to get in her car and leave, leaving a line behind her. She's lucky on the slick roads someone didn't try to squeeze in to the other pump and take off her door.

Meanwhile, a van at another pump has finished filling up. Driver decides to do some shopping in the C store without moving his car (I could see him moving about in the store while I pumped). So the line just gets that much longer.

Is it really so hard to close your door so other people can pump, or to move your car after you pump so other people can pump when there's a line?

[Slayer]

It makes sense for the guy not to move if he hadnt already paid, but that woman was pretty stupid. I even lock my doors when I'm pumping gas. I can't imagine leaving a door wide open.

And if the guy did prepay, then definitely should have moved.

[Sapphire Silk]

It makes sense for the guy not to move if he hadnt already paid, but that woman was pretty stupid. I even lock my doors when I'm pumping gas. I can't imagine leaving a door wide open.

And if the guy did prepay, then definitely should have moved.

It's all prepay in North Carolina now (wasn't I first moved here): you prepay with cash or credit/debit card to get the pumps turned on. If you're paying cash, they only program it for what you paid for. Gas stations here got sick of all the drive offs.

I don't mind people leaving their car at the pump when it's slow. Busy is another matter.

[Shalom]

Is it really so hard to close your door so other people can pump, or to move your car after you pump so other people can pump when there's a line?

That would require the realization that there are other people in the world besides herself, not just animated obstacles to her getting her own way.

I've seen so many thoughtless pseudo-people like this that I don't even bother getting angry about it anymore. How many times do they doublepark on Ocean Ave in Brooklyn when there is an open spot twenty feet in front of them? Or even doublepark right in front of an empty spot? No, because it's more convenient to just stop their car wherever the ^*% they happen to be right at the moment. Other people have to go around them? What other people? It's just me here.

[blas]

Mid 20s is freezing?

The night I went out for my birthday (night before, I mean), it went from 20s or so down to -30 in a matter of hours. And stayed that way for nearly a week, as it always does the week of my birthday. And so it will again the end of this coming week.

I always hope and pray as hard as I can that I don't need to put gas in my car during those periods. Not even a pair of gloves and a scarf covering most of my face can even help with standing outside for more than a minute or two.

It's been in the 20s for a couple of days now. I broke out the Colombia fleece. If there wasn't snert from the past few days all over roads and sidewalks and parking lots, I'd be wearing open-toed shoes. I tell you, every winter, I long for a period of days where it's 20s/30s and the roads and sidewalks clear so I can go back to my beloved open toed shoes and fleeces instead of dressing up like a damn bag lady.

[Sapphire Silk]

Reminds me of when I lived in North Dakota. Ah! the good old days.

I'm still wearing a light jacket most days. But we're generally not used to it being below the 30's in the daytime hereabouts.

[wolfie]

How many times do they doublepark on Ocean Ave in Brooklyn when there is an open spot twenty feet in front of them? Or even doublepark right in front of an empty spot? No, because it's more convenient to just stop their car wherever the ^*% they happen to be right at the moment. Other people have to go around them? What other people? It's just me here.

What other people? I can list a few - Argabarga's NYC counterparts, ambulances, trucks that need the whole street in order to turn.

[Slayer]

It's all prepay in North Carolina now

That's pretty interesting! I didn't know that. It's still a mix here and usually based on the time of day (only Costco is card only).

[Deserted]

Reminds me of when I lived in North Dakota. Ah! the good old days.

I'm still wearing a light jacket most days. But we're generally not used to it being below the 30's in the daytime hereabouts.

! In Phoenix, 30 is damn cold. (I've lived in far northern Illinois so I know what kind of joke that it, but still.)

Hell, it's been raining here all weekend, and simply because of that I decided not to drive today -- but that's because nobody here knows how to drive in the rain; I made the decision based not on "too cold" but rather "I want to live to see tomorrow." (Seriously. People come here and forget that rain + roads = drive cautiously. "What this? Water fall from sky! It magic!" I wish I was joking.)

[mhkohne]

That's pretty interesting! I didn't know that. It's still a mix here and usually based on the time of day (only Costco is card only).

As pre-pay at the pump became more commonplace (I don't think you can find a station that doesn't have it available anymore), everyone started realizing that pre-pay-only means you eliminate drive-offs, which reduces your cost of selling fuel. Since most places don't make much money off the fuel anymore (they make most of their profit in the c-store these days), they want to keep the costs down for the fuel as much as they can.

It's also good at dealing with the problem of accidental drive-offs. Turns out that in a pre-pay-optional system, depending on how your system is setup, it's possible for someone to stick a card in the pump, get it declined, not notice, and pump fuel. If they then don't look for the receipt, they could drive off thinking they've paid.